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Liberals stand by Israel: Ignatieff

Leader responds to flyer critical of party's record

By: Mary Agnes Welch and Geoff Kirbyson

19/11/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 19

Michael Ignatieff jumped all over a Tory flyer suggesting the Official Opposition is anti-Israel.

The Liberal leader responded to the flyer, which arrived in some Winnipeg South Centre mailboxes earlier this week, after a speech to about 500 members of the party faithful at the Delta Winnipeg hotel Wednesday evening.

"The Liberal party has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the state of Israel since 1948 and to assert otherwise is outrageous," he said. "They're sending this into ridings with Jewish communities, they're sending it into ridings represented by MPs who happen to be Jewish and they're making outrageous allegations about the party."

The two-page promotional piece chastises Ignatieff for past statements and links the Liberals to anti-Semitic positions. It also accuses the Liberals of participating in a United Nations anti-racism conference that degenerated into an anti-Israeli "hatefest" and being soft on Hezbollah and Hamas.

The Conservatives also question Ignatieff's support for Israel, referring to comments the Liberal leader made following the 2006 war in Lebanon accusing Israel of war crimes.

Winnipeg South Centre MP Anita Neville, who is Jewish, said the flyer is a scurrilous misrepresentation of the facts.

"I find it demeaning of a government and of a prime minister. It's part of this 'divide and conquer', narrow-edged politics that he does," said Neville.

"I'm offended by it personally and collectively on behalf of the Liberal party. It is full of blatant misinformation and lies."

Ignatieff said nobody can question Neville's dedication to Israel.

"(The Conservatives) turn everything into a partisan issue. This is the politics of division. It's wedge and jam and I'm fed up with it," he said.

The flyer, which features two photos of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, reads, "Unfortunately, Michael Ignatieff and the Liberals continue to send confusing messages when it comes to key issues of concern to Jewish-Canadians."

Charleswood MP Steven Fletcher defended the flyer, saying it simply outlines positions taken by a party whose support for Israel has been less that forthright.

"What we're seeing here is the Liberals complaining that the truth hurts," said Fletcher. "I think Anita doesn't want everyone to be reminded where her party stands."

The flyer is known as a "10 percenter" which refers to parliamentary rules that allow MPs to send flyers into any other riding as long as no more than 10 per cent of the households get one. The Tories have used the taxpayer-funded flyers widely to criticize the Liberals.

The most recent flyer went to three ridings besides Neville's, two in Montreal and one in Toronto. It came from the office of London, Ont., MP Joe Preston.

Neville's riding has been the target of several 10 percenters in recent years. The Tories have tried several times to unseat her.

Hart Mallin, a long-standing member of Winnipeg's Jewish community who ran unsuccessfully for the Tory nomination in Neville's riding earlier this year, said he received the flyer in his mailbox Wednesday afternoon. He has some reservations about his party's approach.

He said the flyer was factually correct but needlessly divisive and simplified complex situations.

"I applaud the direct support for human rights exemplified by Canada's forthright policies under the Harper government that show an understanding of the important role the state of Israel continues to play as an example of a democracy in action," said Mallin. "But I cannot endorse separating any ethnic or religious group in order to leverage political support."

maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca geoff.kirbyson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 19, 2009 A4

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19 Commentscomment icon

avatar

@J.Wyndham
Your dealing with people who use their own people as human shields (like placing rocket launchers, weapon stores etc. in residential areas knowing what the results will be), strapping bombs on the bodies of woman and children, killing each other, showering Israel with lethal rockets that are fired indescribably that can land in a daycare, hospital, or in your bedroom. Hamas and Hezbollah are proxies of Iran, which supplies weapons, training, and funding. They have only one goal, which is not peace with Israel but it’s destruction (Iran of coarse, shares the same goal). They have brought this war on themselves. War is not pretty, but you don’t fight to lose. The world applies a double standard with Israel, expect it to fight with one hand tied behind it’s back. Where was the worlds outrage when THOUSANDS of rockets were fired into Israel over YEARS? There has been numerous instances in history where people have argued about the use of “disproportionate force" like the bombing of Dresden and the use of nuclear weapons on Japan in WW2.

I sure wouldn't want to live like the Israelis do. Having those terrorists launching rockets day after day into their cities. So had enough, why don't you go live there for awhile and see what its like. This is like if you neighbor has a barking dog that goes on and on and is never stopped, when you finally I have had enough its your fault not the dogs or the dog's owner. And iggy did accuse them of war crimes, I am not Jewish, I support Israel, and certainly not Iggy after all that.
And the liberals whining and crying over the 10 percenters, I bet if you check who passed the law to allow that, it was the liberals. Just like they whined and cried when the Conservatives wanted to cut them off tax payer funding. The sooner my money stops going to parties I don't support the happier I will be.

sun tzu
Israel funded the existance of hamas

@SUN TZU:

What's your take on Israel's use of "disproportionate force"?

"1. Being critical of Israeli policies is NOT equal to being antisemitic. Suggesting that they are is preposterous."


It also deceives people about what an anti-Semite really is.

And no, I don't like it that political parties in Canada have to be pro-Israel, and support everything Israel does. I'm getting fed up with hearing about Israel all the time. Canada has enough problems of its own, we owe our allegiance to Canada, and nobody else.

avatar

@crap
Let me correct you on your misconceptions:

Hezbollah and Hamas purposely place rocket launchers and weapons stores residential areas and homes, making them legitimate targets. Putting there own people in harms way are their modus-operundi, as is firing thousands of rockets into Israel.
The so-called occupation is land won in the war of 1967. A war, which was forced on Israel by its Arab neighbours. The land in question has historical ties to the Jewish people going back thousands of years. At Camp David 97% of this land including most of Jerusalem was offered to the Palestinians for a state, but was refused.

As a Jew I also find our political parties distortion of facts for their own self–serving reasons offensive. Both parties speak out of both sides of their month.

To both pathetic liberal and conservative parties:
1. Being critical of Israeli policies is NOT equal to being antisemitic. Suggesting that they are is preposterous.
2. Israel has indeed committed war crimes in Lebanon in 2006 and in Gaza 2009 by targeting residential areas and killing more than a 1000 civilians in each war.
3. Supporting the brutal Israeli occupation is not something to be proud of.
4. Canadians would rather both parties spend their time and effort on supporting Canadians who need better education and health systems.
5. Sucking up to the Jewish community in this obvious manner is a shame to both parties.

The truth Hurts Anita! Sorry the Jewish community is on to you and the rest of the Liberal gang.
Harper is the first Prime minister since Mulroney who has really stood with Israel and with the Canadian Jewish community.
Anita here is a hint for you, the Jewish community is far bigger that your wealthy friends in North River Heights and Tuxedo!

I am waiting to hear from the conservative supporters in regard to this type of gutter politics.It appears that the Cons. are following the same path as the Republicans in the U.S.are using which as a Canadian I think is outrageous and does not reflect how Canadians conduct themselves. Also, Steven Fletcher should be very careful with his comments as most Winnipeg voters can remember his number of faux pas which begs the question, how in the world did he get elected.
Once again, lets hear fron the outraged conservatives on this matter or do they agree with this type of politics.

Iffy can say anything he wants but the fact remains the record is there for all to see. They did go to the anti Semetic Durban conference, Denis Coderre did march with the Hezbollah supporters in Quebec and Iffy did say that Israel committed war crimes. These are all facts that the public saw and heard with their own eyes and ears. So like everything else Libs say something outrageous and then they apologize as if that will make the original comment(s) go away.
Harper has made great gains within the Jewish community and those voters who traditionally voted Liberal are leaving the Liberal party in droves. This is simply an attempt to stem the tied of disaffection. However, the Jewish community knows that Harper supports them unequivocally.

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